Bamboo Flooring - The Basics

Bamboo flooring is everywhere today. What is it and why do all your neighbors seem to have it?

Bamboo Flooring is "Green"

Bamboo is quickly renewable. It matures in 3 years, at which time it can be cut for use as floor. Oak can take up to a century to mature. However, there are different opinions as to how green, sustainable, and "friendly" bamboo really is.

Bamboo Flooring is Not a Hardwood

Bamboo is a grass, not wood. It comes mostly from the southern Chinese province of Hunan. Because it doesn't seem to fit into other flooring categories, you'll often find it in the "hardwood" or "wood" categories.

How They Turn Round Tubes of Bamboo into Flat Flooring Strips

The tubes are sliced into strips. After boiling (to remove the starch), the strips are dried and laminated. After that, the boards are milled into strip flooring--just like the typical oak strip flooring that you see anywhere. Then it's treated with a preservative.

Next...Bamboo Flooring: Cost, Hardness, and Installation